ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Ministry of Road Transport & Highways
Limited registration of BS-IV vehicles to be allowed as per Apex Court order dated 27.3.2020
NIC advised to facilitate implementation of Supreme Court order
Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has advised NIC to faciltate the States /UTs in limited registration of BS-IV vehicles all over India except Delhi/NCR in compliance with Supreme Court directions contained in its order dated 27.3.2020. The Supreme Court has allowed limited and conditional sale and registration of not more than 10 per cent pending BS-4 stock  with vehicle dealers, within 10 days of lifting of the lockdown in a city following outbreak of Covid-19 in the country. The Apex Court has however maintained the stay on sale and registration of such vehicles in Delhi NCR.
As per orders of apex Court dated 24.10.2018, no BS-IV vehicle is to be sold or registered with effect from 1.4.2020. Registration of only BS-VI vehicles is permitted from today throughout India.
In its advisory, which is also marked to all States/UTs, the Ministry has stressed upon meticulous compliance of the orders of the Supreme Court.
Bharat Stage  emission norms are standards instituted by the government to regulate output of air pollutants from motor vehicles. The BS-IV norms have been enforced across the country since April 2017.
India has decided to switch to the world''s cleanest emissions standard from April 1 as it leapfrogs straight to Euro-VI emission standards from Euro-IV now -- a feat achieved in just three years and not seen in any of the large economies around the globe.
RCJ/MS
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Vice President's Secretariat
Vice President stresses the need for value-based and ethical politics
Shri Naidu expresses his concern over the falling standards in public life and discourse
VP calls for a wider debate on freebies promised during elections
Vice President unveils statue of late Shri Pinnamaneni Koteswara Rao, former Krishna District Zilla Parishad Chairman
(The Vice President, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu today stressed the need to promote value-based and ethical politics to protect and strengthen Indian democracy.
Expressing his concern over the falling standards in public life, Shri Naidu urged public representatives to refrain from making personal attacks on their political adversaries. He emphasized the need for consensus-building with all stakeholders on important national matters and advised young and upcoming politicians to take principled positions on various issues.
Unveiling the statue of late Shri Pinnamaneni Koteswara Rao, former Chairman of Krishna district Zilla Parishad in Machilipatnam, Andhra Pradesh, Shri Naidu said that Shri Koteswara Rao made an everlasting impression on the minds of the people as the Chairman of Zilla Parishad, retaining the position for more than two decades. He proved that decentralized democracy can bring developmental benefits to the people, he said.
Urging the younger politicians to emulate Shri Koteswara Rao, Shri Naidu said that political parties must make reasonable and practical promises in their election manifestos to retain people’s trust. Otherwise, people will lose their faith in electoral democracy. He called for a wider debate on the freebies promised during elections and the possibility of making election manifestos legally binding.
The Vice President suggested that people should not limit their participation to merely voting once every five years, but must also question and demand accountability constantly from the elected representatives and the government. He said that people should elect their representatives on the basis of 4Cs - ‘character, caliber, capacity and conduct’ and not on the basis of ‘caste, community, cash and criminality, which are being sought to be promoted by some people.
Shri Naidu called for a more responsible media that avoids sensationalism and reflects the state of affairs in society in an objective way.
Andhra Pradesh Housing Minister Shri Jogi Ramesh, Krishna District ZP Chairman, Shri Uppala Harikrishna, Vijayawada MP Shri Kesineni Srinivas, MLAs Shri Perni Venkataramaiah and Shri Samineni Udaya Bhanu, Machilipatnam Municipal Corporation Mayor Shri Moka Venkateswaramma, former Chief Vigilance Commissioner, Shri KV Chowdary, former Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Shri Pinnamaneni Venkateswara Rao and others were present on the occasion.
Ministry of Defence
Webinar with Israel on Defence Industry Global Outreach for Collaborative Partnership: Webinar and Expo held on 24 Sep 2020
A webinar between India and Israel was held on 24/09/2020. The Theme of webinar was “Indian Defence Industry Global Outreach for Collaborative Partnership: Webinar and Expo”. It was organized under the aegis of Department of Defence Production, Ministry of Defence through SIDM.
This webinar is the first in the series of webinars which will be organized with friendly foreign countries in order to boost defence exports and achieve defence export target of $5 billion in the next five years.
Defence Secretaries and other senior MoD officials from both the countries participated in the webinar and spoke about enhancing the defence cooperation between both the nations.
Creation of Sub Working Group  on Defence Industrial Cooperation between India and Israel was announced in the webinar. The main objective of the SWG will be Transfer of Technology, Co-development & Co-production, Artificial Intelligence, Innovation and Joint Export to friendly foreign countries.
A MoU was also signed between Kalyani Group and Rafael Advanced Defence Systems during the webinar.
A Knowledge paper by SIDM-KPMG was released by Dr Ajay Kumar, Defence Secretary on the occasion.
The webinar was attended by more than 300 delegates and 90 virtual exhibition stalls have been set up for the Expo.
Ministry of Agriculture &
Farmers Welfare
Production of Organic Cotton
The state governments are responsible for production of all types of cotton including organic cotton. The Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare  advocates for promotion of specialty/ organic cotton through user industry to enable farmers get maximum returns for produce. Agricultural & Processed Food Products Export Development Authority , Ministry of Commerce & Industry is the Secretariat for implementation of National Programme for Organic Production . NPOP provides an institutional mechanism for accreditation of certification bodies and certification of organic process & products. Presently, raw organic cotton  is mandated under the certification of NPOP as notified under the Foreign Trade  Act of Directorate General of Foreign Trade . The processing such as ginning, spinning, knitting, weaving etc are not covered under NPOP as mandatory requirement for export from the country and the processed form of organic cotton is exported under private certification system. To overcome all the challenges & issues of concern in the supply chain of processed form of cotton, on the advice of Ministry of Textiles, APEDA has developed and launched Standard for Chain of Custody for Indian Organic Fibres & Products in 2020, on voluntary basis under NPOP for certification of fibres from farm to made-ups.
Besides, Government is promoting organic farming under the schemes viz., Parampragat Krishi Vikas Yojana  and Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North Eastern Region  since 2015-16. Both the schemes provide end to end support for organic farmers from organic production to certification and marketing including post harvest management support like processing, packaging, storage etc.
Indian Council of Agricultural Research -Central Institute for Cotton Research  and All India Coordinated Research Project  on Cotton have released 64 non-Bt  cotton varieties/hybrids during 2017-2021 that can be adopted by organic cotton growers. Nucleus/breeder seeds are available with the developer and seeds are being provided to organic cotton famers after getting the indent. ICAR-CICR and AICRP on Cotton are helping farmers by providing source of breeder seeds and package of practices for organic cotton production
This information was given by Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shri Narendra Singh Tomar in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.
Ministry of Defence
INDUCTION OF ELECTRIC VEHICLES IN ARMY
The Indian Army is planning to introduce phased induction of a limited number of Electric Vehicles  in ‘peace stations’ across the country. The aims and objectives are to adapt to the latest technological advancements, give impetus to green energy and reduce dependency on fossil fuels. The Indian Army is inducting the following EVs across the country:
- Light Vehicles 
- Buses 
- Motor Cycles 
This information was given by Raksha Rajya Mantri Shri Ajay Bhatt in a written reply to Shri Adala Prabhakara Reddy and Shri Margani Bharat in Lok Sabha today.
Competition Commission of India
CCI approves acquisitions of commercial real estate assets by Nexus Select Trust
The Competition Commission of India  approves acquisitions of commercial real estate assets by Nexus Select Trust
The Proposed Transaction involves:  direct acquisition of 100% shareholding of Daksha Infrastructure Private Limited, Select Infrastructure Private Limited, Chitrali Properties Private Limited, Naman Mall Management Company Private Limited, CSJ Infrastructure Private Limited, Euthoria Developers Private Limited, Safari Retreats Private Limited, Vijaya Productions Private Limited, Nexus Udaipur Retail Private Limited, Nexus Hyderabad Retail Private Limited, Nexus Mangalore Retail Private Limited, Nexus Mysore Retail Private Limited, Nexus Shantiniketan Retail Private Limited, Nexusmalls Whitefield Private Limited and Nexus South Mall Management Private Limited;  indirect acquisition by the Acquirer REIT  of 100% shareholding of Westerly Retail Private Limited   and Mamadapur Solar Private Limited  ; and  direct acquisition by the Acquirer REIT  of 50% of the equity shares of ITIPL from its existing shareholders.
The Acquirer REIT has been set up as a contributory, determinate and irrevocable trust under the provisions of the Trusts Act, pursuant to the Trust Deed dated 10 August 2022, for engaging in the business of owning and/or operating a portfolio of rent or income generating real estate assets, in accordance with the SEBI  Regulations, 2014  . The Acquirer REIT was registered with the SEBI on 15 September 2022 as a real estate investment trust under the REIT Regulations bearing registration number IN/REIT/22-22/0004.
The Target Entities and Target Investment Entity are primarily engaged in the commercial real estate sector in India.
Detailed order of the CCI will follow.
Ministry of Home Affairs
Central Government constitutes Inter-Ministerial Central Teams  to make assessment of situation and augment State efforts to fight and contain spread of COVID-19 effectively
In some of the districts of the country, a number of violations of the lockdown measures have been reported, posing a serious health hazard and risk for spread of COVID-19, which is against general interest of public. These violations include incidents ranging from violence on frontline healthcare professionals, attacks on police personnel, violations of social distancing norms in market places and opposition to setting up of quarantine centres and so on.
The Centre has constituted Inter-Ministerial Central Teams , two for Gujarat and one each for Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra . These teams would make on-spot assessment of situation and issue necessary directions to State Authorities for its redressal and submit their report to Central Government in larger interest of general public.
The situation is especially serious in major hotspot districts or emerging hotspots like Ahmedabad and Surat ; Thane ; Hyderabad ; and Chennai . These teams would use expertise of the Centre and augment State efforts to fight and contain spread of COVID-19 effectively
The IMCTs would be focusing on a range of issues including compliance and implementation of lockdown measures as per guidelines issued under the Disaster Management Act 2005; supply of essential commodities; social distancing in movement of people outside their homes; preparedness of health infrastructure, hospital facilities and sample statistics in the District; safety of health professionals, availability of test kits, PPEs, masks and other safety equipment; and conditions of the relief camps for labour and poor people.
If the incidents of above mentioned violations are allowed to occur without any restraining measures in hotspot districts/emerging hotspots or even places where large outbreaks or clusters may be expected, it would pose a serious health hazard for the people of the country.
The Committees have been constituted by the Central Government in exercise of the powers, conferred, inter alia, under Section 35, 35, 35 and 35 of the Disaster Management Act 2005. Governments of States/UTs have also been advised that while they can impose stricter measures than contemplated in the MHA Guidelines issued under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, they shall not dilute them.
Also, the Supreme Court of India, in its Order dated 31.03.2020, has observed that all concerned State Governments, Public Authorities and Citizens of this country would faithfully comply with the directives and orders issued by the Union of India in letter and spirit in the interest of public safety. This observation, which must be treated as directions of the Apex Court, has also been conveyed to all States/ UTs Governments.
The IMCTs would commence their visits at the earliest.
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
Shri Bhupender Yadav visits LiFE pavilion at Bharat Parv and asks the participants to become pro-planet people by adopting a sustainable lifestyle
Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate change Shri Bhupender Yadav visited the LiFE pavilion set up by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change at the ongoing Bharat Parva at Lal Qila  today. On this occasion Shri Yadav interacted with the visitors at the Pavillion and asked them to become pro-planet people by adopting a sustainable lifestyle.
The LiFE pavilion was opened for the general public on 26th January 2023. The pavilion encapsulates the message of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to become a pro-planet person to save mother Earth from the impacts of Climate Change. The pavilion has various interactive tools to disseminate the information about Mission LiFE.
The motion sensor wall displays various habits which help determine pro-planet behavior, the informative wall tells the visitor about benefit of various environment friendly habits, the Augmented Reality panel allows the visitors to take selfie with Prakriti, the mascot and the plasma screen displays the award winning paintings and brochures on Mission LiFE. The interactive mediums have generated huge positive responses from the public.
The interactive medium in the pavilion has encouraged and motivated the youth and helped build up further momentum on Mission LiFE. Children and youth are joining the movement by taking the pro planet pledge.
Ministry of Defence
Bullet Proof Vests
Bullet Proof Jackets  and Ballistic Helmets are provided to soldiers as per authorization and operational requirements. The Contract for procurement of 1,86,138 BPJs and 1,58,279 Ballistic Helmets was concluded in April, 2018 and December, 2016 respectively. Ballistic Helmets equipped with internal communication gear are also part of this procurement.
BPJs are procured as per General Staff Qualitative Requirements  which are reviewed from time to time based on the operational requirements of the Armed Forces.
It is difficult to ascertain every time the clear cause for casualty of soldiers attributable to BPJs.
This information was given by Raksha Rajya Mantri Shri Shripad Naik in a written reply toShri Shanmuga Sundaram K in Lok Sabha today.
ABB/Nampi/Rajib/SK
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Ministry of Information & Broadcasting
The Spell of Purple celebrates courage of women: Director Prachee Bajania at IFFI 52
Panaji, 22 November 2021
The spell of Purple celebrates courage of women however it also speaks about fatigue that sets in after having to constantly struggle with patriarchy. Thousands of women are labelled witches with ulterior motives to grab property or to trouble them and this movie tells the story of fight of these women against forces of patriarchy in a small field in tribal Gujarat, said director of movie Prachee Bajania. She was speaking at a press interaction at IFFI 52 in Goa today and was joined by Director of Photography Rajesh Amara Rajan.
The idea of this film flashed to the director when she was travelling through the forests of Ambi Dumala. Search for a source of 10 seconds folk song that Prachee heard in forests of Ambi Dumala ended with the movie, The Spell of Purple.
While speaking about the inspiration behind the title of the film, the Director said that purple colour is associated with magic and mysticism. Prachee wanted to use this colour to talk about theme of the subject as well as to show that women are still blooming despite odds against them.
Many of the attempts to label women as witches are with the intention of grabbing their property or sexually harassing them, said Prachi.
“The movie celebrates the courage but also speaks about weariness faced by them due to constant harassment”, it gives the message that freedom lies in loving.
The original title of the movie in Gujarati is Khilshe Toh Khara  signifying that women will bloom despite all the odds and evil forces against them in the society.
The director said that Gujarati cinema which was mostly being screened only in rural centers earlier have now started getting released in urban centers after 2012-13 and is slowly getting popular there too.
Director of Photography Rajesh Amara Rajan spoke about his attempt to capture through his lens the male instinct for voyeuristic gaze as portrayed in the film.
Srujana Adusumalli , Jikku Joshi  and Shikha Bisht  also interacted with the media.
The film which was shown at Indian Panorama Non-Feature Film section at IFFI 52 was the graduation film made as part of their training at FTII, Pune.
About the Movie
Inaas, the sole owner of a small field in tribal Gujarat, is the target of envious neighbours who brand her a ‘witch’. Enveloped in fear, she looks for strength in other women – a new mother dealing with loneliness and a young married woman forced to reckon with turmoil of her own. The Mahua forest bears silent witness to their secret conversations, sometimes reaching out through ancient folk songs. The film captures the bone-deep weariness that often lies behind such women’s daily courage.
Director : Prachee Bajania
Producer : FTII/Bhupendra Kainthola
Screenplay : Prachee Bajania
DOP : Rajesh Amara Rajan
Editor : Srujana
Cast : Swati Das, Shraddha Kaul, Vidisha PurohitTEAM IFFI PIB | NT/MC/DR/IFFI-46
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Cabinet
Cabinet approves Continuation Programme for Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark-III
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved funding for the for Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark-III  continuation programme  consisting of ten  GSLV  flights, at a total estimated cost of Rs. 4338.20 crores. This includes Rs. 4338.20 Crores and includes the cost of ten GSLV Mk-III vehicles, essential facility augmentation, Programme Management and Launch Campaign.
The GSLV Mk-III continuation Programme – Phase 1 is the first phase of operational flights that will enable the launch of 4 tonne class of communication satellites to meet the country’s satellite communication requirements.
The operationalisation of GSLV Mk-III will make the country self-reliant in the launching capability of 4 tonne class of communication satellites, and sustain & strengthen the space infrastructure and reduce the dependence on procured launches from foreign countries.
The operationalisation of GSLV Mk-III will make the country self-reliant in the launching capability of 4 tonne class of communication satellites and sustain & strengthen the space infrastructure and reduce the dependence on procured launches from foreign countries.
The GSLV Mk-III Continuation Programme – Phase 1 will meet the launch requirement of communication satellites to meet the national demand for High Throughput Satellites for rural broadband connectivity, increase and sustain the availability of transponders for DTH, VSAT and Television broadcasters.
GSLV Mk-III Continuation Programme – Phase 1 will be the first phase of operational flights of the GSLV Mk-III launch vehicle and the approval will cater to the launch of satellite missions during the period 2019-2024.
Background:
The Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark-III  has been developed towards achieving indigenous launch capability to launch 4 tonne class of satellites into Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit . It has completed one experimental flight  in 2014 and one developmental flight  in 2017. The second developmental flight will be completed by Q2 of 2018-19 this year. The Continuation Programme – Phase 1 will enable independent access to space for 4 tonne class of communication satellites, and establish GSLV Mk-III as a cost-effective workhorse vehicle to launch 4 tonne class of communication satellites in order to meet the national requirements as well as to boost its commercial potential in the international market for launch services.
AYUSH
AYUSH Sector set to add momentum to the Jan Andolan against Covid-19
Nearly 2000 take the COVID-19 pledge
The Ministry of AYUSH has launched the Jan Andolan Campaign on COVID-19. This Andolan is regarding “Public Health Response to COVID-19: Campaign for COVID-Appropriate Behaviour” which has been launched by the Hon. Prime Minister through a tweet on the 8th of this month to encourage people across the country to adopt and encourage other to adopt COVID appropriate behaviours in view of the upcoming festivals and winter season. The Ayush professionals work closely with the public, and hence the sector is gearing up to add momentum to this campaign.
The Jan Andolan Campaign will be driven by people’s participation. In the Ayush Sector, the practitioners and other Ayush professionals will act as catalysts for dissemination of relevant information throughout the country. The campaign emphasizes on “Unlock with Precautions”. The three key messages which are being highlighted across the sector are - “Wear Mask, Follow Physical Distancing, and Maintain Hand Hygiene”.
To make the campaign a success, partnerships are being formed among the Ministry’s attached and subordinate offices and PSUs with private sector industry and academia. Ayush Directorates in States and UTs with Ayush dispensaries supported by the National Ayush Mission of Ministry of AYUSH under them, the States and UTs Ayush Directorates are important stakeholders, and will be a major network for this Ministry for spreading the instant behavioural change communication. The Health Secretaries of States/UTs will be mounting campaigns aligned with these messages.
The network of about 750 Ayush Medical Colleges with their communities of students and teachers will play an important role in this effort. The Chairmen of the Board of CCIM and CCH  respectively have been requested to activate these colleges.
Hospitals and Research Councils of the National Institutes and Research Councils, which are about 150 in number are directly linked to Ministry of AYUSH, will serve as hubs for communication and other related preventive activities. The Heads of these institutions have taken the national responsibility of disseminating information about Covid-appropriate behaviour. PSUs  – IMPCL products like Ayush Immunity Kit produced by IMPCL will be integrated with the campaign.
The Ministry is also promoting the COVID-19 Pledge among all employees of the Government, attached/subordinate offices and grass root organisations, and also among the public. Nearly 2000 people took the pledge under the auspices of the Ministry and this activity will continue in the coming days.